


More Than Meets The Eye

by brokenhighways



Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends, Light Angst, Love/Hate, M/M, POV Outsider, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 14:52:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11648874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenhighways/pseuds/brokenhighways
Summary: Lionel’s POV of Zude and her acceptance of Zero.





	More Than Meets The Eye

**Author's Note:**

> Written for this [prompt](http://team-zude.dreamwidth.org/90688.html?thread=27200#cmt27200) from the Team Zude Comment Fic/Art fest.
> 
> This was weird but fun to write, lol :)

Lionel Davenport is many things. Easily shocked is not one of them, at least not until she watches Zero, the LA Devils small forward and all around manwhore, kissing Jude Kinkade, her boyish, skittish EVP on the middle of the Devils Arena court. She does several double takes before she fully comprehends what she's seeing. It's only when the reporters begin to swarm around them like vultures that she realises that this isn't a dream. She's not going to wake up and find Jude dating a nice investment banker instead of the team's resident existential crisis. 

It’s still surreal to her even as she crafts a statement the next morning with the PR department. Jude sends her a text saying that he's with Zero and it takes every ounce of will in her body to refrain from replying back with ‘ _ why?’.  _ She's listened to Jude complain about Oscar enough times to know that Zero isn't the answer to whatever hole he's trying to fill. His name is  _ Zero _ for Pete's sake, that's a big enough reason not to go there. 

“I can feel you judging me,” Jude says when they meet for breakfast a few days after they manage to resolve the stadium lockout. In this business things move quickly and they've not really had a chance to discuss the Zero situation. 

They don't really have the time now, not with Jelena and Terrence breathing down their necks.

“What and  _ who  _ you do in your spare time is none of my business,” Lionel says in between sipping her chai latte. “It's your life.”

Jude's expression is one of disbelief. “He's different with me.”

There's no note of persuasion in his voice; the words are said like they're a simple fact.

Lionel shrugs, “Whatever, Jude. So long as you're disease free and happy,  _ I'm _ happy. Now, let's get back to figuring out how to keep hold of the team.”

He seems unconvinced, but she plasters on her best poker face and takes a bite of her salad. It tastes bitter in her mouth but she keeps her composure.

She gives it a week before Zero decides that he can't handle the extra attention. When that happens, they can talk about this and all the ways in which it was a bad idea.

~

Zero's coming out party isn't really on Lionel's agenda, but it's at the Playground and she's a sucker for free drinks so she swings by. Predictably, the whole thing screams  _ Zero Zero Zero  _ like Jude is some invisible afterthought. It's tacky, cheap and once she's done talking to Zero, she's leaving. 

When she threatens to run Zero over if he hurts Jude, she truly means it.

~

Zero doesn't fold the way she expects him to, but cute Instagram pictures aside, she still finds herself waiting for the other shoe to drop. When that doesn't happen, she decides to take matters into her own hands. 

She waits until Jude's across town for a meeting and she summons Zero to her office. 

“Are you going to threaten me again?” he asks with an unruly smirk when he takes a seat.

Lionel shuts her laptop and glares at him. “Laugh now, but I've got your number, Romeo. Your image was in the gutter before all of the press about you ' _ coming out _ ’. Now you're some kind of hero. Isn't that a funny coincidence?”

Zero's mouth thins out into an angry line. “Kissing Jude had nothing to do with my  _ image _ .”

“What was it about then?” Lionel asks carefully. “This couldn't have worked out better for you. You leave Jude high and dry for four months and then the second he has a chance with someone else, you waltz in and stake your claim. You're like a cat chasing after a mouse, doing anything to catch it, consequences be damned.”

Zero snorts dryly and leans back in the chair, his hand scratching at his chin slightly. There's a surprised yet aggrieved smile on his face, almost like he can't believe what he's hearing. 

“Lucas only wanted one thing from Jude.” His tone is gruff and laced with a hint of defiance.

“So?” Lionel retorts. “He's not a eunuch, and it wasn't long ago that you wanted the same thing. Why are you any different?”

Zero laughs bitterly and shakes his head. “Considering that  _ you  _ married Oscar for his money and the team, I don't need to explain myself to you.”

Lionel shrugs nonchalantly, because this is exactly the kind of behaviour she was expecting from Zero. She can be selfish and self-absorbed so she knows what it looks like, can see it radiating from Zero like a mirror image. If there's anyone who  _ doesn't  _ need that, it's Jude. 

“But I will,” Zero adds much to her surprise. For the first time since their conversation started he seems to be sincere.

It's a welcome change from the well put together mask that he's always wearing. 

“Jude's  _ never  _ been disposable to me, ever. I let him go because I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought that he deserved better, but, four months gives you a lot of time to think and all I thought about was Jude.”

Lionel regards him closely, actively looking for any signs of disingenuousness; she doesn't find any. This throws her because she was so sure that she had Zero's number. 

“So, you're serious about him?” she says slowly, even though it's redundant at this point. It's obvious now Zero's not going anywhere, not for a while. Even if he wanted to, there's no way Jude would let him, not without a fight. 

“Yeah, I am,” Zero says with a steely glare. “Is that going to be a problem?” 

Considering that Lionel's currently in the middle of a what could become a very dangerous game with Oscar, she's forced to contemplate who Jude would pick if it came down to it. It doesn't take long for her to realise that she can't take that chance. 

“No, it's not,” she tells him. “Welcome to the family, I guess. Luckily for you, we don't do Sunday dinners. You'd probably erupt into flames when we say Grace.”

Zero snorts dismissively. “And you wouldn't?”

Lionel smiles at him sharply. “Touche.” 

~

Lionel is about to make her way to the parking lot, when she hears voices coming from Jude's office. After taking a brief second to make sure that it isn't  _ that  _ kind of noise, she finds herself listening in. 

“I spoke to Lionel today.” 

Lionel rolls her eyes at the sound of Zero's voice. Lately it seems like he's everywhere. 

“I think she hates me,” Zero continue. She all but brought a pitchfork out.”

There's a rustle of paper and Jude chuckles humourlessly. “That's probably my fault...she was there when I needed to vent. She's a good friend. Or step-mom. Whatever.”

Zero says something she can't make out before he adds, “Well, while I'm a little scared that she'll make good on her threat to flambé my balls, I'm glad that someone has your back.”

There's a pause and some more rustling before Jude responds, his voice so quiet that Lionel practically has to press her ear to the door

“Who's got your back?”

Zero's reply is quick and to the point. “You do. I don't need anyone else.”

It's a touching thing to say, but it's also bullshit. Lionel was in a codependent relationship long enough to know that they'll burn out if they only ever rely on each other. 

“Is there a reason why you have such an aversion to friends?” Jude asks quietly.

There's a long pause before Zero answers. “Growing up in that foster home wasn't exactly a walk in the park. The kids at school weren't kind. The atmosphere at the house was  _ toxic.  _ By the I made it to college, I was used to being on my own. Decided to keep it that way.”

“I wish things had turned out differently,” Jude says in lieu of the apology that so many people would have uttered. 

Considering that Jude didn't tell her anything about Zero's past, Lionel's surprised.  _ Foster home? _

Suddenly, she's seeing Zero in a different light. 

“I don't,” Zero says. “Means I have less people who want to mooch off me.”   
  


Jude chuckles. “That's one way of looking at it.”

“Besides,” Zero adds. “If things had gone differently, I might not have met you.”

Lionel rolls her eyes at the cheesiness of his words, although if pressed, she might admit that it's kind of sweet (albeit in a nauseating way). She can practically see Jude's bashful smile and reddened cheeks along with hearts in his eyes. It's that thought that has her moving away from the door, heels clacking on the floor as she walks away. There's only so much sappiness that she can take. 

The sound of Jude's office door opening stops her in her tracks and for a second, she wonders if they know that she's been eavesdropping. 

“Oh, Lionel, you're still here? I thought you'd left already,” Jude calls when he steps out of the office. Zero follows closely, shooting Lionel an unreadable look. 

Lionel conceals her fading panic with a hearty laugh. “You know me. All work and no play.”

Jude huffs out a laugh as he locks the door.

Zero snorts dryly. “Is that what we're calling it?”

Lionel smiles at him sweetly. “Isn't there a mirror somewhere out there waiting for you to ask if you're the fairest of them all? I know how much you need the validation.”

Jude shoots her a warning expression but Lionel ignores him. Zero's a tough guy, he can take a little ribbing. 

“I'll leave the theatrics to you,” Zero says. “I think you'd be a better fit as the evil stepmother. Have I ever told you how much I enjoyed your last movie? If you ask me, the critics got it all wrong.”

Lionel narrows her eyes; she walked right into that stepmother jibe. 

“I wish I could say the same about your critics,” she fires back. “But you really are in Derek's shadow. It's a shame that your tenure as Captain was so...brief.”

Jude clears his throat loudly and whatever Zero's about to say doesn't come. He laughs scornfully, before taking a step back and hoisting his bag over his shoulder. 

“We have to go,” Jude says, switching his leather briefcase to his left hand and grabbing Zero's arm with his right. “I'll see you tomorrow, Lionel.”

With that, Jude propels Zero forward, leaving Lionel standing there with a strange sense of solitude brewing inside her. 

~

Lionel's birthday comes around and she takes a day off from kissing up to the league and finding ways to keep hold of the team. Sometimes, she's not sure why she's trying so hard, but then she catches a glimpse of Jude with his head buried in paperwork and knows that she has to fight for the team. No one has worked harder for the Devils than Jude and she owes it to him to make sure that she doesn't lose everything. 

That's why she's so surprised when Jude invites her to dinner. 

On one hand, it's sad that she can't pretend she's doing something else. That there's no gaggle of Hollywood friends to hang out with. No, they're only good for an impromptu selfie, taken solely for the publicity it garners. With her movie career tanking, she's officially persona non grata, and things have been quiet past a brief dalliance with an old flame.

In the end, she decides she'd rather spend the evening with Jude instead of sitting around and feeling sorry for herself. 

~

The first sour turn comes when she arrives at the restaurant and sees Jude and  _ Zero  _ sitting at the reserved table. The feeling fades somewhat when she watches the way Jude's face lights up as Zero talks, the way Zero's hand lies casually on Jude's atop the table. 

“Lionel, you're here,” Jude calls when he sees her. He stands quickly and pulls out her seat. “Happy Birthday!”

Lionel grimaces after she sits down. “Some birthday. I  _ did  _ get a nice card from your father, though. Surprisingly, it wasn't signed with poisonous ink.”

Jude's face pales at the comment but Zero takes it in his stride. 

“What did it say, 'eat shit and die’?” he asks, with a truly unappealing smirk on his face. Lionel smooths out her napkins just to keep her hands busy. She doubts that Jude would like it if she slapped his boyfriend. 

“Something like that,” she replies with a forced smile.  

The look that Jude gives both of them can only be described as withering. 

“Can you guys  _ try  _ to get along just this once?” he asks, as he looks between them. “You can go back to hating each other tomorrow.”

Lionel shrugs, and Zero doesn't respond but they stop trading words after that. After ordering, they stick to discussing the team, namely Derek who's not really as loyal as Lionel needs him to be. 

“You wouldn't have to worry about loyalty if you'd kept me as Captain,” Zero mutters around his wine glass. Jude elbows him gently, but Lionel would rather hear it. Zero as Captain really would be  _ hilarious.  _

“I can just see it now, we'd have a captain that pretended to be a religious freak while cavorting with hookers leaving his reputation in the gutter until four months later when he decided to  _ out  _ himself on national television.”

Zero glares at her, his eyes narrowing as he says, “Thanks for the recap, but what's your point?”

“You're not Captain material,” Lionel says. “You're one fuck up away from trashing your reputation entirely. I just hope that you don't drag Jude down with you.”

Jude rolls his eyes and sets down his cutlery. “I need some fresh air. Come and get me when you're done with... whatever this is.”

He stands up and walks away before Lionel can call after him and she turns back to Zero who's giving her an unreadable look. 

“Aren't you going to go after him?” she asks him.

Zero shrugs, “I would, but then we wouldn't come back and me being the gentleman that I am, I can't leave you to pay the bill.”

Lionel snorts. “You a gentleman? That's like calling Kim Kardashian classy.”

“I thought we agreed to get along for Jude's sake,” Zero says, ignoring her comment. His eyes narrow as he continues, “You’ve been taking shots at me all night.”

Lionel inhales and exhales gently. The last thing she wants to do is have a heart to heart with Zero, but she has been kind of bitchy for a reason. At the very least she owes him an apology. 

“I'm sorry, okay,” she tells him. “I guess it's just weird to have a third person around when I'm with Jude. Not that I'm jealous of anything, I just...Feel like some kind of third wheel.”

Zero frowns, like he's trying to mentally catalogue everything that's happened. After a second he shrugs, “I can leave if you want. I know that Jude just wanted to take your mind off the team and everything. Trust me, I'm not here by choice.”

“All we've done is discuss the team,” Lionel deadpans because this charade is a funny way of distracting her from Devils business. 

Zero laughs softly. “Force of habit, especially when it comes to Jude.” 

He doesn't sound bitter, but he doesn't sound too happy about it either. Lionel briefly wonders if there's a story there before she decides that it's none of her business. 

“I'm going to go and get Jude,” Zero adds. “And then I'm going to head off, got an early team practise anyway…”

Lionel recalls the conversation she overheard in Jude's office, the way Zero said he didn't need anybody else. If he goes, chances are that he'll be alone somewhere and for some reason that bothers her. 

She tells him to stay. 

~

Lionel next bumps into Zero during some at the Playground. He's by the bar sipping his drink slowly while Jude talks to a couple of the board members in the VIP area. She glances between Jude and Zero for a minute before snagging a glass of champagne from a passing tray and heading towards Zero. If she's forced to make nice with the growingly irate board members, one of them is going to end up with a stiletto heel in their neck. 

She would rather not take that chance. 

“Lionel,” Zero says by way of greeting when he notices her. “Shouldn't you be schmoozing the board?”

Lionel scoffs. “I think I'm too much woman for them. They'd rather talk to Jude. If Jelena wins this battle of ours, she's going to have her work cut out for her. You know, I didn't take this bullshit from Scorsese, I'm not going to take it from them.”

“Didn't that movie end up getting recast?” Zero asks with that annoying smirk of his. 

Lionel sighs, it's not her fault that Martin is a temperamental bastard. “I  _ quit. _ He had no choice.”

“I heard it went differently, but hey, I wasn't there,” Zero says with a shrug. 

“Did you Google me or did Jude give you a quick rundown of my illustrious career?” she queries, because reluctant friendship or not, there's no way that Zero has anything but fleeting interest in her career. 

“That doesn't matter,” Zero replies, and suddenly his face darkens and he looks like he's not to be messed around with, “what matters is Jude busting his balls to make sure that  _ you _ don't lose this team. So if I was you I'd get over there and show the board that you're serious.”

“Like you care about what happens to the team," she scoffs, adding an eye roll for good measure.

Zero might be right, but she's not about to admit that and contribute to his inflated ego.

He eyes her coldly, “I care if Jude cares.”

There's a pause while Lionel contemplates what to say, and eventually she's settles on, “You're cute when you get all overprotective.”

She doesn't wait for an answer before she saunters over to where Jude and the board members are seated. 

~

When everything goes haywire and Oscar manages to muscle his way back into power - thanks to Lionel being in over her head -  she knows that Zero's going to catch up with her. Even when Jude decides stay on as EVP, she knows that Zero's still going to have some choice words for her. 

The fact that Jude doesn't seem to be angry at her for letting Oscar loose only makes things worse, so she's ready for Zero's wrath. In fact, she  _ welcomes  _ it, because she knows that this time she's definitely gone too far. 

He catches up with her just before the second game after Oscar's release. By this point, she's  _ seriously  _ regretting her choice. Losing the team would have been the preferred option if having Oscar's sweaty hands all over her was the only other choice. Although, in a fucked up way, she did this for Jude. Being in over her head was one thing, but losing the team he'd always wanted to be a part of would have been disastrous. If pressed to make the same call, she'd probably do it all over again. 

Zero doesn't see things the same way. 

“You have got some fucking nerve,” he hisses at he when he manages to locate her and pull her into some secluded corner in the arena. “Why would you spring Oscar out of jail when you know that he's…”

He's bristling with so much anger that he can't finish the sentence but he doesn't need to. 

“Look, it was either that or lose the team,” she protests, even though she's been beating herself up ever since Oscar got 'off leash’. “I was  _ desperate _ .”

Zero laughs bitterly. “Oh, really? And the fact that Jude went behind your back and met with Marcus Douglas had nothing to do with it.”

Lionel shakes her head because while that was a kick in the ribs, it also helped her see that she's not cut out for this world. Jude might be a natural at the business, but she's not. 

It was a choice between sinking or swimming, and she chose the latter. 

“Ask yourself this, Zero, what would be worse for Jude - losing Oscar  _ and  _ the team, or having the team and a chance to make amends with his father.”

She's clutching at straws, but at this point she needs him to be on her side. 

“Make amends with him?” Zero echoes, quickly glancing around to make sure that no one is listening in. “Are you out of your mind? Hasn't Oscar done enough damage? Look, I gotta get ready for the game, but when - and not if - this goes belly up, I'm holding you personally responsible.”

Lionel can only watch his retreating figure as he strides away from her. 

~

Much later, when Jelena gains control of the team, and Pete tells the police that Oscar tried to kill her, Lionel finds herself thinking about what Zero had to say. Oscar  _ has  _ done enough damage, and as long as Jude's a part of the Devils, he's always going to be sniffing around. Dangling fatherhood like a carrot in front of a rabbit. 

That just won't do, and she tries to rectify the situation when she and Oscar meet to hash out the details of their forthcoming divorce. 

“I told Oscar that I'd tell the cops that he didn't try to kill me if he left Jude alone,” she tells Zero when he joins her on the bench after Oscar leaves. 

Losing the team is one thing, but Oscar still has a lot of money. He might be silenced now, but they both know it's not the end.

“Did he say anything about Jude?” Zero asks her. He's been a lot nicer to her ever since the press caught wind of what really happened in that garage -  _ damn TMZ _ \- and if she's being honest, she misses their old camaraderie. 

Lionel arches an eyebrow, “What do you think? He was too busy jumping for joy at having the cloud of attempted murder removed from his head.”

Zero snorts gently and shakes his head. “Well, at least we're free of him for now. Just do me and favour and... don't tell Jude about this. With everything that's going on, he doesn't need to be thinking about Oscar.”

Lionel considers this with a degree of surprise, “Wouldn't it be better if he knew? That way there's no false hope. He should know that Oscar only ever sees him as a gateway to something, be it freedom, or a way back into the fold.”

Zero looks away from her before he says, “Hope is one of those things that never dies. You can push it down, shove it aside and compress the hell out of it, but it never truly goes away. Jude is  _ always  _ going hope that Oscar changes his mind someday. I'd rather spare him the heartache.”

He pauses before he adds, “Especially with that detective sniffing around. I'm pretty sure he thinks Jude had something to do with Jelena getting shot.”

Lionel's heard about that from Jude, and while she knows that Jude didn't shoot her, she wasn't certain about Zero until now. He's too switched on to do something as primitive as  _ shooting  _ someone without having an ironclad alibi in place. 

“You know, if Pete had ever been as considerate and thoughtful as you are, none of us would be here today,” she says wistfully. “This is all my fault...”

Zero turns back to her. “Look, you're human. You made a few mistakes and hopefully you'll learn from them. It wasn't too long ago that I was crawling my way back from disgrace. Life goes on.”

Lionel narrows her eyes at him. “This conversation and the past few weeks have really shattered my perception of you. It's almost like you're  _ normal  _ and not that sleazy guy who used to end up all over TMZ.”

Zero shrugs. “All of that was an act that stopped being useful when I found someone that I wanted to be real with.”

Lionel knows it's time to wrap things up when she feels a telltale prickle behind her eyes. She blinks rapidly and silently hopes that her eyeliner doesn't run. 

Zero peers at her closely. “Are you  _ crying _ ?”

“No,” she protests hastily. “I just have something in my eye.”

He doesn't look too convinced. 

~

Lionel manages to score an invite to Derek and Ahsha’s wedding, most likely because of Pete. Considering that he saved her life, she agrees to put everything behind them and move on. There's still a hint of bitterness on her tongue when she sees Pete with Sloane, but it's probably always going to be there. She just has to learn to live with it. 

A few of the board members in attendance greet her warmly and for the sake of appearances, Lionel. doesn't roll her eyes and ignore them the way she desperately wants to. 

Thankfully, she spots Jude standing on his own in a secluded corner and she wanders over towards him. 

“Hey, Lionel,” he calls when he sees her coming. “I didn't know you were coming.”

Lionel shrugs. “I didn't have anything better to do.”

“Where's Zero?” she asks when Jude just smiles at her warmly. “Wait. Let me guess, he's admiring his reflection with the cutlery?”

Jude laughs before he glances at the rest of the guests. “He's around here somewhere. We came separately, haven't touched base with him yet.”

Lionel nods, and she realises that she's glad that Jude's come along way from the emotional wreck he was over Zero back before they ever went public.  __

She's glad that Zero managed to prove her wrong. 

Zero appears beside Jude just as she's thanking him for having her back. His suit colour is a little flashy for a wedding that isn't his, but given that it's  _ Derek's  _ wedding, she's not surprised. 

“Lionel,” Zero says by way of greeting. He turns to share a brief look with Jude who has this little smile on his face, like Zero's a secret that no one else is in on. 

Lionel can't help it. “You two are so adorable together,” she hears herself saying before she reaches out to palm Zero's face. “I just want to eat your faces.”

It's the slightly scared smile on Zero's face that has her declaring, “I need booze.”

She walks away abruptly, and goes in search of said booze. Minutes later when she has a glass of red wine clutched firmly in hand, she looks back over towards them, and watches them from her spot by the refreshment stand. Jude's smiling warmly as Zero is saying something.  Seconds later Jude pulls Zero into a chaste kiss, his hands still framing Zero's face when they pull away from each other. 

Lionel grins to herself as she turns away. 

Zero might be the right person for Jude, (or he might not). It's not like she can't see the future, but either way, she's rooting for them. 

  
~ _ Fin _ ~


End file.
